Additional measures essential to clamp down on CFCs, says charity

A charity has warned that lawmakers and regulators must do more to prohibit the activities of canine fertility clinics (CFCs), following a ten-fold surge of businesses in only 2 years.
At least 339 established canine fertility clinics have been identified as of June, following research by the Naturewatch Foundation; however, some are thought to have already terminated operations. This figure compares to around one-hundred and twenty in late 2021 and only thirty-seven in early 2020, just before the first COVID-19 lockdown.
The most frequently advertised procedures were ultrasound scanning (offered by 93% of businesses) ahead of artificial insemination and cytology tests, which help determine the most optimum time for breeding (advertised by 68% of businesses). However, a significant fall was recorded in the numbers offering progesterone testing – from sixty-eight per cent last year to fifty-one per cent. This drop possibly is due to increased awareness that only vets and VNs can collect blood.
But an interim report said its investigations had exposed evidence indicating links between some unlicensed dog breeders and CFCs, as well as some even advertising dogs for sale online.
It also said it has evidence of specific clinics allowing AI and blood tests to be performed without supervision or veterinary training, illegal administration and supply of prescription medicines and other substances, in addition to the selective breeding of flat-faced dogs to create dogs with more distinct features.
Campaign manager Natalie Harney has stated that “fertility clinics have exposed that our veterinary law is outdated and unsuited to dealing with new problems like this effectively. It cannot be right, for instance, that the penalty for performing acts of veterinary surgery illegally is a modest fine. We need veterinary law to be reformed to ensure that there’s appropriate oversight of any individual or business that provides veterinary services and to address the lacunas in the law that have allowed disreputable businesses to flourish so easily. I have sympathy for enforcement officers who are trying to work with the existing patchwork of law, and there’s a number of individuals who are extremely committed to tackling this problem but are limited in what they can do. We would like to see more ownership by others, however, particularly the RCVS and Defra.”
A spokesman stated: “We are concerned that the number of establishments offering canine fertility related services appears to have grown in recent years. Medical procedures performed on animals or pets should only be undertaken by authorised veterinary professionals.”